cat >/dev/null_

There are several ways to contact me, I’ll try and list them, most preferred first.

email

email is the nicest way to get in touch with me. Just be sure to follow some simple rules:

I get a lot of spam, so there is a chance that your message may get caught in my aggressive spam filter and go unnoticed for many days, or even for good. This is more likely to happen if the message is very short and the sender’s address is not in my whitelist. You may wish to make sure that the address you’re using is included in that list before sending me email. If you just can’t, at least be descriptive in the subject of your email.

Mail chains are absolutely not welcome, whatever the subject. They will literally drive me crazy. Send me one and I’ll do my best to keep your mailbox filled with crap for the rest of your miserable life.

Do not include any of my email addresses in “To:” or “Cc:” fields when posting to a large number of recipients. Be nice and use the “Bcc:” field instead.

Try to be as descriptive as you can, without going too long, in the subject of your mail. This is a good general rule, and it gains even more importance when you’re writing to someone who gets a lot of mail.

Unsolicited binary attachments are generally not welcome, especially when in proprietary formats like those used by Microsoft Office or other non-free applications. If you really want to send me a proprietary binary, use the body of the e-mail message to give a brief description of the contents and/or why I should do my best to open it. PDF is generally OK.

Try to avoid HTML messages. I usually can read them, but plain text is preferred. Configure your mailer to always send plain text messages to my address, if you can.

instant messaging (IM)

instant messaging is another way to get to me. I am online most of the time, even if I’m not always available. IM can be very good for quick communications, but also very annoying. Please abide by some basic rules:

IM can be very distracting. Please respect my “not available” status, if it’s not that important. Also, a little chat can be nice, but it’s also nice to start it by asking your pal if they’re busy at the moment.

Some IM networks allow sending messages to off-line buddies. In any case, do not use or consider IM as a substitute for email. My email is regularly checked, stored and indexed, so if you wish me to know or remember something, send me email.

Most IM networks feature “official” client programs, but almost all of them can also be used with “unofficial” clients1, which may not support all of the protocol’s features. For several reasons, it’s extremely likely that I will not be using official IM clients, so don’t bother sending me files, custom emoticons or other MSN shit, and all the like. If you really must, ask before.

I stole most of those icons above from meebo. Try it, it’s a cool way to IM.

Phone/FAX

Once again: please consider using preferred methods like email or instant messaging before trying to reach me on the phone.

My landline office number is +39 0547 1955475.There is a voice mailbox replying when I’m out of the office. I try to check it regularly, but please use email if you really need to get through.

My fax number is +39 051 0544544.

WARNING: VoIP number. Your caller ID number will be logged.

My profile at various sites

LinkedIn is an online network of experienced professionals from around the world. I maintain a profile there, where you can find information about my career, with comments and endorsements from customers and colleagues.

I maintain a web page with my own Curriculum Vitæ. You can download it in PDF format or view it online. Here is the official location: http://andreucci.com/cv (only in Italian at the moment, sorry).

I have a Twitter account: andreworg – even though I’m not used to frequent updates.

1 “official” as in directly distributed and maintained by the IM network provider; “unofficial” as in reverse-engineered or otherwise “parallel” implementation.